Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090107737 | MULTIPLE-SENSOR-ELECTRODE CAPACITIVE BUTTON - Methods for determining actuation of a capacitive button having at least three sensor electrode elements associated with at least three distinct sensor electrodes are described. In one embodiment, indicia from the at least three distinct sensor electrodes associated with the at least three sensor electrode elements comprising the capacitive button are received. At least three electrode values are generated from the indicia. The at least three electrode values are then utilized to determine actuation of the capacitive button. | 04-30-2009 |
20090128374 | DETERMINING ACTUATION OF MULTI-SENSOR-ELECTRODE CAPACITIVE BUTTONS - Methods for determining actuation of a capacitive button are described. In some embodiments, indicia from the at least three distinct sensor electrodes associated with at least three sensor electrode elements comprising the capacitive button are received, the indicia indicative of interaction of an input object with the at least three distinct sensor electrodes. The actuation of the capacitive button is then determined, based at least in part on satisfying a set of criteria comprising: a location condition concerning a location of the input object relative to a center of the capacitive button, and a coupling condition concerning a change in capacitive coupling of the at least three distinct sensor electrodes associated with the at least three sensor electrode elements comprising the capacitive button. | 05-21-2009 |
20090174675 | LOCATING MULTIPLE OBJECTS ON A CAPACITIVE TOUCH PAD - A system and method for locating multiple objects on a capacitive touch pad is described. The method for determining locations of a plurality of objects contemporaneously interacting with a capacitive touch pad having a sensing region includes generating a first capacitive profile associated with a first object and a second object contemporaneously in the sensing region and determining locations of the first and second objects with respect to the sensing region utilizing the first capacitive profile. | 07-09-2009 |
20090314105 | BALANCED RESISTANCE CAPACITIVE SENSING APPARATUS - Embodiments for a capacitive sensing apparatus with attenuated electrical interference across a plurality of routing traces are provided. One embodiment forms a first sensor electrode on a substrate. In addition, a first routing trace is formed on the substrate, the first routing trace coupled with the first sensor electrode. One embodiment additionally forms a second sensor electrode on the substrate. A second routing trace differing in length from the first routing trace is also formed on the substrate, the second routing trace coupled with the second sensor electrode. To attenuate electrical interference, the second routing trace is formed having an approximately equal RC time constant characteristic as the first routing trace. | 12-24-2009 |
20100289503 | EXTENDED PROXIMITY SENSOR DEVICE WITH ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE PROTECTION - An input device is provided with improved electrostatic discharge protection. Specifically, the input device includes a plurality of capacitive sensing electrodes configured for object detection. An electrostatic discharge (ESD) shunt is disposed near the capacitive sensing electrodes and configured to provide ESD protection to the capacitive sensing electrodes. The input device also includes an extended-proximity capacitive sensing electrode configured to for object detection of relatively distant objects. The ESD shunt has an associated first resistance, and the extended-proximity capacitive sensing electrode has an associated second resistance. The second resistance is greater than the first resistance such that an electrostatic discharge at a first exposed location would be attracted to the ESD shunt via a first potential discharge path instead of being attracted to the extended-proximity capacitive sensing electrode via a second potential discharge path, where the first discharge path is longer than the second discharge path. | 11-18-2010 |
20110148436 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING A NUMBER OF OBJECTS IN A CAPACITIVE SENSING REGION USING SIGNAL GROUPING - An input device and method are provided that facilitate improved usability. The input device comprises an array of capacitive sensing electrodes and a processing system. The processing system is configured to receive sensing signals from the capacitive sensing electrodes and generate a plurality of sensing values, each of the plurality of sensing values corresponding to a sensing electrode in the first array of capacitive sensing electrodes. The processing system is further configured to produce a plurality of positional values corresponding to a plurality of groups of electrodes in the first array of capacitive sensing electrodes; analyze the plurality of positional values to determine if one or more clusters exist in the plurality of positional values; and determine a number of objects in the sensing region from the determined one or more clusters in the plurality of positional values. | 06-23-2011 |
20110148438 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING A NUMBER OF OBJECTS IN A CAPACITIVE SENSING REGION USING A SHAPE FACTOR - An input device and method are provided that facilitate improved usability. The input device comprises an array of capacitive sensing electrodes and a processing system. The processing system is configured to receive sensing signals from the capacitive sensing electrodes and generate a plurality of sensing values. The processing system is further configured to calculate a sensing profile from the sensing values, calculate a profile span from the sensing values, and determine a shape factor from the sensing profile and the profile span. Finally, the processing system is configured to determine a number of objects in the sensing region from the determined shape factor. Thus, the sensor device facilitates the determination of the number of objects in the sensing region. | 06-23-2011 |
20120182229 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR INTERFERENCE AVOIDANCE IN AN INPUT DEVICE - Devices and methods are provided that facilitate improved interference avoidance performance. The devices and methods determine a relative ranking for a plurality of transmitter signals based on a first class of interference for each transmitter signal of the plurality of transmitter signals. The devices and methods transmit a first transmitter signal of the plurality of transmitter signals with a sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes. The first transmitter signal is selected based on the relative ranking for the plurality of transmitter signals. The devices and methods shift from transmitting the first transmitter signal to transmitting a second transmitter signal of the plurality of transmitter signals with the sensor electrode is based on an amount of a second class of interference in the first transmitter signal. The second transmitter signal is selected based on the relative ranking for the plurality of transmitter signals. | 07-19-2012 |
20120249476 | CAPACITIVE TOUCH SCREEN INTERFERENCE DETECTION AND OPERATION - A processing system for a capacitive touch screen comprises sensor circuitry and control logic. The sensor circuitry is configured to communicatively couple with sensor electrodes of the capacitive touch screen. The control logic is configured to operate the capacitive touch screen in a first mode comprising interference sensing at a first level and input object sensing. The control logic is also configured to operate the capacitive touch screen in a second mode instead of the first mode in response to: interference measured in the first mode meeting an interference condition; and a determination that input is in a sensing region of the capacitive touch screen. Operating in the first mode, interference sensing is performed during a non-display update time. Operating in the second mode, interference sensing with the capacitive touch screen is either not performed or is performed at a second level, lower in fidelity than the first level. | 10-04-2012 |
20120262222 | CAPACITIVE INPUT DEVICE INTERFERENCE DETECTION AND OPERATION - A processing system for a capacitive input device comprises sensor circuitry and control logic. The sensor circuitry is configured to be communicatively coupled with sensor electrodes of the capacitive input device. The control logic is configured to operate the capacitive input device in a first mode comprising interference sensing at a first level and input object sensing. The control logic is also configured to operate the capacitive input device in a second mode instead of in the first mode in response to: interference measured in the first mode meeting an interference condition; and a determination that input is in a sensing region of the capacitive input device. While operating in the second mode, interference sensing with the capacitive input device is either not performed or else is performed at a second level that is lower in fidelity than the first level. | 10-18-2012 |
20130099805 | DETERMINING ACTUATION OF MULTI-SENSOR-ELECTRODE CAPACITIVE BUTTONS - In a method for determining actuation of a first capacitive button having a first set of at least three sensor electrode elements associated with at least three distinct sensor electrodes, and wherein a sensor electrode element of the first set of sensor electrode elements and a sensor electrode element of a second set of at least three sensor electrode elements of a second capacitive button share at least one sensor electrode in common, indicia is received from the at least three distinct sensor electrodes comprising the first capacitive button. At least three electrode values are generated from the indicia. The at least three electrode values are utilized to determine actuation of the capacitive button. | 04-25-2013 |
20130181942 | SINGLE LAYER CAPACITIVE IMAGING SENSORS - Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device that includes a plurality of sensing elements that are interconnected in desired way to acquire positional information of an input object, so that the acquired positional information can be used by other system components to control a display or other useful system components. One or more of the embodiments described herein, utilizes one or more of the techniques and sensor electrode array configuration disclosed herein to reduce or minimize the number of traces and/or electrodes required to sense the position of an input object within a sensing region of the input device. | 07-18-2013 |
20130181943 | SINGLE LAYER CAPACITIVE IMAGING SENSORS - Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device that includes a plurality of sensing elements that are interconnected in desired way to acquire positional information of an input object, so that the acquired positional information can be used by other system components to control a display or other useful system components. One or more of the embodiments described herein, utilizes one or more of the techniques and sensor electrode array configuration disclosed herein to reduce or minimize the number of traces and/or electrodes required to sense the position of an input object within a sensing region of the input device. | 07-18-2013 |
20130271160 | REDUCING BENDING EFFECTS IN TOUCH SENSOR DEVICES - A capacitive image sensor for detecting an input object includes a first substrate and a second substrate. A compressible region is defined between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate is deflectable towards the second substrate. A transmitter electrode, receiver electrode, and bending effect electrode are disposed on the first substrate. The bending effect electrode is disposed between the transmitter electrode and receiver electrode and is configured to reduce a change in resulting signals detected from the receiver electrode caused by deflection of the first substrate towards the second substrate. | 10-17-2013 |
20130271161 | REDUCING BENDING EFFECTS IN TOUCH SENSOR DEVICES - A capacitive image sensor for detecting an input object includes a first substrate and a second substrate. A compressible region is defined between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate is deflectable towards the second substrate. A transmitter electrode, receiver electrode, and bending effect electrode are disposed on the first substrate. The bending effect electrode is disposed between the transmitter electrode and receiver electrode and is configured to reduce a change in resulting signals detected from the receiver electrode caused by deflection of the first substrate towards the second substrate. | 10-17-2013 |
20140021966 | CAPACITANCE MEASUREMENT - A differential amplifier has an output and differential first and second inputs. A switch disposed between a sensor electrode and the second input is opened to initiate a reset phase where the sensor electrode and the differential amplifier are decoupled. A feedback capacitance disposed between the second input and the output is reset to a first level of charge. The switch is closed to initiate a measurement phase where the second input and sensor electrode are coupled. In the measurement phase: charge is balanced between the sensor electrode and the feedback capacitance such that a sensor electrode voltage equals a voltage of the first input equals a voltage of the second input, and the sensor electrode is charged; and the differential amplifier is utilized to integrate charge on the sensor electrode, such that an absolute capacitance corresponding to a coupling between the sensor electrode and an input object is measured. | 01-23-2014 |
20140160056 | SENSOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING PROXIMITY EVENTS - Methods, systems and devices are described for determining positional information for objects using an input device. The various embodiments provide improved user interface functionality by facilitating user input with input objects that are at the surface and objects that are away from the surface. The input device includes a processing system and an array of sensor electrodes adapted to capacitively sense objects in a sensing region. The processing system is configured to determine first positional information for an input object in a first portion of the sensing region based on a difference between a first frame of the first plurality of frames and a filtered frame even when the input object is determined to be in the sensing region when the first plurality of frames are acquired, wherein the filtered frame is based on one or more of the first plurality of frames | 06-12-2014 |
20140267127 | SINGLE-LAYER CAPACITIVE SENSOR AND CAPACITIVE SENSING INPUT DEVICE - A single-layer capacitive sensor comprises a user input region and a border region proximate to and outside of the user input region. The user input region includes a plurality of transmitter electrodes that are disposed within the user input region. The user input region also comprises a plurality of receiver electrodes disposed in a common stackup layer with the plurality of transmitter electrodes within the user input region such that the transmitter electrodes and the receiver electrodes make no crossings of one another in the common stackup layer or in any other layer within the user input region. The border region comprises a plurality of routing traces extending from the border region into the user input region to couple with the transmitter electrodes and the receiver electrodes. The border region also comprises a plurality of transmission traces disposed entirely within the border region. | 09-18-2014 |
20140267137 | PROXIMITY SENSING USING DRIVEN GROUND PLANE - A method and apparatus for operating an input device having an array of capacitive sensor electrodes disposed on a substrate with a ground plane, and a proximity sensor electrode are disclosed herein. The input device includes a processing system configured to operate in an input mode and a proximity mode. When operating in the input mode, the processing system drives the ground plane to a grounding voltage and scans the array of capacitive sensor electrodes to detect input from an object in an active region of the input device. When operating in the proximity mode, the processing system drives a sensing signal on the ground plane, and optionally, one or more sensor electrodes of the array of capacitive sensor electrodes and receives a resulting signal from the proximity sensor electrode. The processing system generates an indication of an object presence in a second sensing region based on the resulting signal. | 09-18-2014 |